1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording method to perform recording by ejecting ink, and a method for installing an ink jet recording head.
2. Related Background Art
A number of printers, facsimile apparatuses, word processors, and other information apparatuses are being developed today. As these apparatuses, the ink jet recording method is widely used because it is capable of providing a high resolution, high speed recording as well as a compact fabrication and a low cost. Among many other advantages, its capability of being fabricated compactly and operated at a low running cost are particularly significant.
As shown in FIG. 20, there has hitherto been a method wherein a head cartridge 1801 integrally structured with a recording head 1801a and an ink tank 1801b filled with ink is exchangeably mounted on a mounting unit 1802 of an apparatus. However, this method has a drawback that its running cost is high because the recording head in this case is an article of consumption. Also, the recording head 1801a has yet to reach the end of its life when ink has been consumed completely. This is a waste because a recording head 1801a, which is still usable for recording, is discarded.
There is also a method wherein a recording head 1901 and an ink tank 1902 are structured separately and are exchangeably mounted on the mounting unit 1903 of a recording apparatus individually as shown in FIG. 21, for example. However, with this method, it is necessary to provide the ink supply passage 1904 on the recording apparatus in order to supply ink in the ink tank to the recording head. As a result, the cost is inevitably increased and this also hinders making the apparatus compact. Moreover, when ink tanks containing ink materials of different colors are utilized, ink mixture takes place in the ink passages in a recording apparatus even if the recording heads 1901 and ink tanks 1902 are replaced. In order to avoid this mixture, it is necessary that the recording heads 1901, ink tanks 1902 and ink supply passages 1904 are mounted on the mounting units 1903 separately for each color.
Also, as shown in FIG. 22, for example, there is a method wherein a recording head 1701 is connected and fixed to the mounting unit 1702 of a recording apparatus while an ink tank 1703 is exchangeably connected to the foregoing recording head 1701. This method, however, makes it difficult to replace the recording heads with ease when the recording head is damaged. Also, when ink tanks contain ink materials of different colors, there will take place a mixture of ink in the recording head. Accordingly, recording heads 1701 must be provided in the mounting unit 1702 separately for each color of ink.